Voting-machine.



PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906. C. E. KIMBROUGH. I VOTING MACHINE. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED MAYQ. 190,5.

PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

G. E. KIMBROUGH.

VOTING MACHINE. PPLIOATION num une, 19,05.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a portion of the machine.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT ornr'cn.

VOTING-MACHINE.

VSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application ined may 9,1905. semi No. 259,565.

To @ZZ 'u1/1.07m 271i' may concern: Be it known that LCHARLES E.KIMBROUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lo gansport,county of Cass, in the State of In-v diana, have invented a new anduseful Voting-Machine, of which the following is a specilication.

My resent invention relates to an improve( voting machine on and bywhich, through a system of plungers, registering devices, and operatingmechanisms, the vote of the voter is' cast and counted simultaneously,the voter voting either a straight or mixed ticket, as he may elect,thus doing away with all printed. ballots and the laborious and tediouscounting of the same also roviding for an absolutely secret ballot aneliminating the loss of votes from mutilation or any other cause underthe resent system and counting every vote exact y as voted, so that whenthe polls are closed the total vote for each and every candidate isdisplayed in figures, which have onlyto be read. Aside from securingabsolute secrecy of ballot, I improve the manner of locking in the totalvote, either straight or mixed. y

I provide a voting-machine which is sim ple in construction, reliableand positive in its action, and in which the parts are easily accessiblewhen it is desired to make repairs or for other purposes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterappear,and the novel features thereof will be specifically dened by theappended claims.

The invention in its preferred form is clearly illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, which, with the characters of reference markedthereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is asection through the machine on the line x y of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is asection of That part of the machine covered by the line L is on theplanes of the line L L, Fig. 1. That portion of Fig. 2 covered by theline S is taken on the plane of thel line s s, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is acrosssection through the wheel-hub and shaft. Fig. 4 is a detail, partlyin elevation and partly in section, showing the hubs of the two wheelsand the shaft. Fig. 5, together with Figs. 6, 7, and 8, illustratedetails showing the manner of connecting the registers to the votingmechanism, especially the plunger. Fig. 9 is a plan showing the normalposition of the lever when a straight party ticket is to be voted.. Fig.10 is a detail plan view of the lever which is used for putting thevoting d evice out of service after the polls are closed. Fig. 11 is atop plan view of the same. Fig. 12 is a detail view thereof in sideelevation. In Fig. l the union between the shaft carrying the wheels andthe operating-shaft is broken away to better show the construction ofthe upper end of the vertically-movable shaft which loosely embraces thewh`eel-car rying shaft. Figs. 3 and 4 are on an enlarged scale, theformer being taken as on the line of section indicated by e c in Fig. 4.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring now to the details of the draw ings, but first callingattention to the fact that the machine consists of a number of thinsolid wheels equal in number to the offices of the country which arefilled by the votes of the people, and that the mechanism of every wheelis identical to, separate from, and independent of every other wheel inthe machine, a machine with but two wheels, as herein illustrated, willsuffice for the purposes of illustration and making clear theconstruction and operation of my present invention, it being understoodthat the number of wheels may be increased, say, to fifty, if desired,and it is to be noted that the hubs of the wheels are entirely on oneside of the wheel, each hub having the desired number of holes c, c, a,and a, as seen best in Fig. 2, 3, and 4, through the same-at equalintervals or distances apart. In the present instance I have chosen toshow four; but it is to be understood that the invention is notrestricted to this number. In line with each of these holes in the hubof each wheel is a plunger 6, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) which vplungers workthrough and are supported by the brackets 8 and 18 on the faces of thewheels. The brackets 8 also carry the catches 9, which are designed todrop into and engage the notches i, formed in the plungers 6 when thesame are pressed down.

5 is a shaft supported at each end in the boxes 13 and 14, as seen inFig. 2, and on this shaft are carried the wheels, which, as abovelstated, are in this instance two .in number, L and M. This shaft 5 ishollow and through the same is a hole l) equal in size to the holes a.,af, a, and a" in the hubs of the wheels and so situated that the holesc, a, a, and a" IOO will pass over the said hole b when the wheel isrevolved. The shaft 5 is further provided with holes c of the saine sizeas the holes b and (L, al', a, and a", the said holes c being disposedon a line about forty degrees around the shaft from the holes I) and inthe pat-hs of the holes a, c', a, and a for a purpose which will soon bemade apparent. ,To one end of the shaft5is keyed the operating-lever 1,as seen in Fig. 2.

4 is a shaft parallel with the shaft 5, as seen best in Fig. 2, and tothis shaft 4 is attached the levers 2 and 3, as seen clearly in Figs. 1and 2. To the end of the lever 3 is connected the shaft or lever 7, asseen also in said "figures, which passing upward is supported by thebrace 12, as seen clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, and terminates in a loop K,as seen clearly in Figs. 1, 2, and 9, which extends loosely around thehub of its wheel, it being understood that there is one of these levers7 for the hub of each wheel employed in the machine.

Each wheel has in its periphery a notch U V, as seen clearly in Fig. 1,and each plunger carries at its outer end a button Z, bearing the nameof the party to be voted for.

The normal position of the machine is the '/straight-ticket7 position,in which the upper end of the lever 1, Figs. 9 and 1, stands in avertical position. This brings the hole Z) of the shaft 5 on the topside of the shaft and in a vertical position and directly under aplunger 6 when the plunger is brought to a working position over thenotch U V in the periphery of the wheel, as seen in Fig. 1. To vote astraight ticket, the wheel L on the shaft 5 is revolved till the buttonZ, bearing the name of the desired party, appears over the notch U V,which brings one of the holes a, a', a, or am in the hub of the wheelover the hole b in the shaft 5, when the catch 9 will drop into thenotch i' in the plunger 6 when pushed down, locking the machine in thisposition.

Attached to each plunger 6 is an arm 19 of a registering machine 20. Theregister' is fastened to the wheel by means of bolts or rivets or anyother suitable means and occupies substantially the position withrelation to the other parts as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. Every plunger hasits individual register, and the arm 19 of each register 20 is connectedto a crank-arin 21 and to a collar 22, as seen in the di'erent views.The collar 22 is securely fastened to the plunger 6, so as to movetherewith. By this means the machine registers the number of times thateach plunger is pushed down, thus counting the votes cast for the partvwhich each button represents.

The plungervbeing locked in its pushed-down position, that wheel cannotbe revolved to bring another plunger up, neither can the plungers of anyof the other wheels be pushed down or the wheels be revolved, becausethe holes c in the shaft 5 are not in position so the plunger 6 can gothrough them in order to throw the registering-machines. After the voterretires the judge can press down (through the opening Qin the wall ofthe casing) the end of the lever 2, as will be readily understood fromFig. 1, which will cause the shaft or lever 7 to be raised, the upperend thereof striking the outer end of the latch E), which is disposed inthe path thereof, as seen in Fig. 2, and releasing the plunger 6 by theaction of the spring 16 around the said plunger, as seen in Figs. 1 and2, when the machine is ready for the next voter, the register'- ingmechanism having recorded the vote.

To vote a mixed ticket, first draw the upper end of the lever 1 overinto the position F, (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) when thelower end of the said lever will catch behind the catch on the lever 2,as seen in Fig. 2. This movement carries the hole l) in the shaft 5 awayfrom and brings the holes c in the said shaft 5 to a vertical position,in which none of the plungers on the wheel L or the straightticket wheelcan be pushed down. The other wheels represent an office instead of aparty, and the different plungers on the wheel represent the candidatesfor that particular office. After drawing the lever 1 over into theposition F in Fig. 1 commence at the wheel M and revolve the Wheel tillthe button Z bearing the name of the desired candidate appears. Thenpush the button down into the notch U V in the periphery of the wheel,when it is locked and the vote registered by the registering mechanismand machine connected with the said plunger. Proceed to the next wheeland vote for the desired candidate in the same manner. Repeat themovement throughout the entire list of offices or wheels to which acandidate is being elected.

After the voter leaves the machine the udge presses down on the lever 2,which raises the lever 7 against the latch 9 and releases the plungers 6in the different wheels, when the springs 16 will return them to theirorigi nal position. By pressing the lever 2 far ther down its pointdisengages the lower end of the lever 1, when the weight 17, carried bythe lever 7, forces it down till the upper end of the lever 1 strikes astop provided therefor, thus bringing the hole b in the shaft 5 into avertical position, and the machine is ready for the next voter.

After the polls are closed the judge in charge of the ballot-box locksthe voting-machine, so it cannot be in any way operated, therebypreventing fraudulent change. In order to accomplish this, I haveprovided the lever 24. (Shown in Figs. 2, 10, 11, and 12.) This lever 24has a pivot connection with the bracket 29, as seen at 31. This bracketis permanently connected to the casing of the votingmachine, and theshaft 5 is provided with collars 2S, which are permanently securedthereto, as seen best in Fig. 12. The end of the lever 24 is of a Vshape, as seen in Fig. 10,

IOO

IOS

IIO

or of analogous form and works between the said collars, as seen in saidFig. 10 and also in Fig. 12. Vhen the lever 24 is thrown into theposition shown, it imparts a movement to the shaft 5. This movement ofthe shaft causes the holes c and l) to recede from the holes 0., a, a,and am, thereby making it impossible to operate any of the plungers 6and change the total vote after the polls are closed. In order toprevent any taml ering with the lever 24, a bracket 25, with a s ot 30,in which the handle of the lever operates, is provided, which bracket isfiXedly secured to the casing of the voting-machine, as seen in Fig. 12.The bracket 25 is also4 provided with a pin 26, as seen in Figs. 10 and12. To move the lever 24 from the position in which it is shown by fulllines in Fig. 12 to the position indicated by dotted lines in the samefigure, it will be necessary to remove the said pin 26 from its bracket25. In order to prevent the removal of this pin from its bracket, thepin has a number of holes 34, through which as many special locks areinserted as there are judges. No two locks are alike. Thus the machinevote cannot be changed unless all the judges are present. The pin 31 isprovided with locks for a similar purpose, no locks, however, beingillustrated on the drawings.

From the above it will be seen that I have devised a novel, e'liicient,and reliable votingmachine, by the use .of which it is impossible tocast a fraudulent vote and in which no vote can be lost on account ofaccidental mutilation, and that all the votes will be counted` as voted,economy in time and expense of elections assured, and simplicity ofconstruction making it not liable to derangement, and while thestructural embodiment of my invention as herein disclosed is what I atthe present time consider the preferable one it is evident that the sameis subject to changes, variations, and modifications without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages. Itherefore do not wish to be restricted to the details of constructionhereinbefore set forth, but reserve the right to make such changes,variations, and modifications as come properly within the scope of theprotection prayed.

What I claim as new is- 1. In a voting-machine, the combination of awheel, a hollow shaft concentric with the hub of said wheel, plungerscooperatively arranged with relation to said shaft and hub of the wheeland which shaft is common to all of said plungers, and means for movingthe said shaft endwise to prevent rotation of the wheel to lock andrelease and control said wheel, as set forth.

2. In a voting-machine, a wheel with a hub with openings, a hollow shaftwith an opening, plungers movable radially of said wheel for cooperationwith said shaft and hub, said openings being in position to receive theplungers and registering devices operatively connected with saidplungers.

3. In a voting-machine, a wheel with a hub with openings, a hollow shaftwith an opening, plungers movable radially on the wheel, said openingsbeing in position to receive said plungers and means for automaticallylocking the plungers in their depressed position.

4. In a voting-machine, the combination of a wheel having a hub withopenings, a hollow shaft with an opening, plungers movable radially onsaid wheel, said openings being in position to receive said plungers,means for automatically locking the plungers in their y depressedposition, and means for releasing said plungers.

` 5. In a voting-machine, the combination of a wheel, anendwise-rnovable hollow shaft concentric therewith a plunger movableradithe plunger in its depressed position, means for releasing theplunger, and means for locking the machine against actuation.

6. In a voting-machine, a hollow rocking shaft, means for rotating saidshaft and for moving it endwise a wheel carried thereon, and meanscooperating with said shaft for controlling the kind of ticket voted.

7. In a voting-machine, plungers, a wheel, an endwise-movable shaft withwhich said plungers coperate, and counting mechanism actuated by saidplungers.

8. In a voting-machine, mechanism representing the different candidatesfor the different oflices separate and distinct from each other, aseries of plungers, a series of wheels, and a hollow shaft, said shaftand the wheelhubs constructed for locking out some of said plungers bydirect cooperation therewith.

9. In a voting-machine, a wheel, plungers thereon, an endwise-movablehollow shaft concentric with the hub of said wheel and common to all ofthe plungers and constructed for locking out some of the lattermechanism for voting the different tickets and counting mechanismrepresenting the different candidates entirely separate and distinct.

10. In a voting-machine, a wheel, an endwise-movable shaft carrying thewheel, plungers movable radially on said wheel, means for automaticallylocking the plungers in their depressed position, and means for movingthe shaft endwise to prevent actuation of said wheel. v

11. In a voting-machine, an endwise and rotatably movable shaft,aplurality of wheels carried thereby, means for moving the shaft aboutits axis, and means for moving the shaft endwise to prevent rotation ofthe wheels.

12. In a voting-machine, a wheel, an endi wise-movable shaft, plungersand registering mechanism for each plunger, said shaft being common toall of the plungers, means for locking out some of the plungers andmeans com- .8 5 ally thereon, means for automatically locking IOO rIo

ing mechanisms for polling a vote and counting the same, anendWise-movable hollow shaft on which said Wheel is mounted, means forlocking out some of said plungers when said shaft has been shifted, andmeans for locking the machine against operation.

CHARLES E. KIMBROUGH.

Witnesses:

A. E. BALL7 VILL BALL.

